Mountains Talking Lotus in the Flame Temple, Zen Center of Denver Summer 2005 Effort Unless we make the effort, nothing happens. It is said in the like a reunion with one’s family. Therefore, live among the Abhidharma, the Buddhist psychology, that effort is the root wise, who are understanding, patient, responsible, and noble. of all achievement, the foundation of all attainment. If we Keep their company like the moon moving among the stars. want to get to the top of the mountain and just sit at the –Shakyamuni Buddha bottom thinking about it, it’s not going to happen –Joseph Goldstein From the moment we first engage the dharma, we encounter the truth of our Buddhanature. This is the fundamental Without energy and the power to concentrate that energy, teaching of Zen, our essential reality. Knowing this is our no Way can be pursued. Energy is increased by living under nature, shouldn’t we recognize our obligation and assume discipline and in association with those who know how to responsibility to realize it directly? We often think of concentrate; it is dissipated by living planlessly and with obligation as a burden, but to realize our true nature is to planless people. alleviate the profound weight of our confusion, anger and –Trevor Leggett fear. –Geoffrey Shugen Arnold There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not starting, and not going all the way. The pathologies of a lay life relate to a kind of getting lost, a –Shakyamuni Buddha forgetting of the quest, an unconscious immersion in the world. So much time is spent changing diapers or watching He who moves not forward goes backward. the stock market ticker that zazen never gets gets up enough –Johann Goethe steam to bring about a real change. We are so close to the greed, the sadness, the anger, and the ignorance that it’s No one succeeds without effort. Mind control is not your impossible not to get stained by them…The world penetrates birthright. Those who succeed owe their success to their us. But this wounding of consciousness can be the essence if perseverance. the Bodhisattva life. –Ramana Maharshi –John Tarrant To see what is right and not do it, is want of courage. Zen Masters have just made people alike sit up straight and –Confucius calmly abide in the Self. This itself is the great teaching of tranquility and happiness. So you should practice carefully Growth is optional...Choose wisely. and reach the realm of peace and happiness yourself. Once a –Karen Clark person has reached this realm of tranquility and happiness, he will be like someone who has eaten his fill. If you are enlightened concerning what real things are, you –Keizan Jokin will know that we pass from one husk to another like travelers in a night’s lodging house. But if you are not It is essential that anyone wishing to realize himself or herself enlightened, you rush about wildly. Suddenly earth, water, and know the realm of tranquility and happiness, attend at fire, and air are separated (corporeal death), and, like a crab least one evening sitting at the Temple per week, sit at home with its seven arms and eight legs in boiling water you every day when not sitting at the Temple, attend teisho and struggle! Don’t say I didn’t warn you! dokusan regularly, attend periodic sesshins and practice –Mumon Ekai diligent mindfulness in the course of one’s daily rounds. Nothing less can bring about genuine transformation at the Keeping company with the immature is like going on a long core of one’s being. journey with the enemy. The company of the wise is joyful, –Danan Henry Sangha News Zen Practice We all have a limited amount of time and energy Zazen available for practice. To help us prioritize this time, The heart of Zen training is zazen. Without zazen there is the following list of practice forms is given in order of no Zen, no realization, and no application of the practice. importance: –Robert Aitken 1. Daily/weekly practice (zazen, teisho, dokusan, The most important way that we realize our nature, support samu, mindfulness) one another, and support the Center, is by doing zazen 2. Periodic zazenkai, weekend, and seven-day sesshin. together in the zendo. There is no other reason for the 3. Adjunctive practices, including: Temple’s existence as important as to practice zazen together. a) Daily body practice (i.e. tai chi, yoga, kyudo) It is wonderful that our sense of community, growing out b) Daily art practice (i.e. calligraphy, ikebana) of the shared aspiration of our Zen practice together over c) Mountains and Rivers sesshin, Four Postures the years, is now flowering like never before. So, I find it sesshin, Art Practice sesshin paradoxical that attendance has fallen off so radically that it d) Engaged Buddhist practice (social, political, is not unusual for only one or two persons to attend a sitting economic, and environmental activism). in addition to the Monastery Without Walls members who are running the sitting. While a number of members support the Temple with consistent daily and weekly practice, it is Elimination of Monday Evening Sittings clear that we are in the midst of an ongoing slump. Due to poor attendance at evening sittings, particularly on Monday evenings, we find that it is no longer feasible to We decided to open up the Center to the public so that have three evening sittings per week. Therefore, starting July people could come and practice with us at all of our daily 11, we will eliminate Monday evening sittings until further sittings. Now there are people coming to practice with us notice. We hope that concentrating our energies into two and most of the time there is no “us” for them to practice evening sittings per week will not only make the sittings with! As such, not only do they not receive the support of stronger for our guests, but more importantly, will ignite strong sitters, there is no way for them to be able to and enliven our Sangha. The importance of sitting together understand the kinhin route, how to get up and where to in the evenings as a Sangha cannot be overemphasized. We stand, how to bow and do prostrations, find chant booklets, cannot do this work alone. Practice sustains us, and it sustains etcetera, as there are not enough members (sometimes none) the Temple. Our practice together is the foundation of our to follow. I find that I have to apologize at the end of sittings Temple, and there is a real danger at this time for that to these good people who are trying their best to sit with us foundation to crumble. We currently stand at a crossroads, but are having such a hard time doing so. and it is my hope that we remember the joy of practicing together and do what needs to be done to safeguard zazen In order to bring about some genuine transformation at the as the cornerstone of Zen practice at our Temple. core of your being and to safeguard the survival of the –Danan Temple as a daily lay practice center, I urge you to attend at least one evening sitting per week where circumstances permit. As Woody Allen said, “The secret of life is just Mountains Talking is a quarterly newsletter published by: showing up.” The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. So take yourself in hand, gently but firmly, bring yourself to The Lotus in the Flame Temple, Zen Center of Denver: the Temple, and practice together that you may reach that 3101 West 31st Ave. Denver, CO 80211 place of eternal serenity and return to the world with greater 303-455-1500 (Tel.), 303-455-1062 (Fax) E-mail: [email protected] clarity, peace, and compassion. Website: www.zencenterofdenver.org –Danan Spiritual Director: Rev. Danan Henry Roshi Sunday Talks Credit Card Payments The issue of the new 9am starting time for teisho and other The Center has recently acquired a credit card service that talks on Sundays was revisited at the May Sangha Meeting. allows members to make automatic monthly billing for A number of members expressed the difficulty they had dues and other donations. This enhancement is made with the new starting time, the main issue being that the through our existing financial software and generally makes later time cuts into the rest of the day, sometimes even credit card based transactions easier to do. If you would spilling into the afternoon for those belonging to groups like to set up automatic payments for dues and other that frequently meet after teisho. On the other hand, those donations, please contact the office by phone or by meeting who prefer the later starting time appreciate the extra sleep, with Shonen Dunley. For security reasons, please do not and some who travel long distances to come to the Center email credit card numbers. find the new time easier. The result of the discussion was that the Sangha would be polled as to whether or not they Talk and Discussion preferred starting at 8am or 9am, their reasons for doing During this Shila Ango, we will conclude our investigation so, and how strongly they felt about the issue on a scale of of the Eightfold Noble Path that began during the previous one to five. A total of forty supporting members (a quorum) winter Shila Ango. The series will resume with Right Effort responded to the poll, with 19 favoring a return to 8am, on Tuesday, July 19, and continue with Right Mindfulness 14 favoring 9am and 7 who had no preference.